24 Redeemer
by redcloudedleopard
Summary: Church is a place you can bring any problem too. Such is the case for an angst-ridden Human Torch. A dedication to :1. the Almighty, & 2. my favourite Christian author, Dr. Tim Keller. :3
1. Stricken

"You don't remember anything about it?" questioned Azula. He just shook his head in profound awe, still a little mussed from the pain meds taken that morning. Besides, he was too busy fumbling his way out the hospital doors. _Azula can drive? How? _he thought to himself. She'd been actually taking classes & coaching all these months, eventually rewarding herself with the driving license she could now keep with her superhero license proudly. The issue at hand was Johnny's memory loss after the mob attack in the past week.

"I wanna bring you someplace before we head home. You cool with that?" she took out the keys of Johnny's car named Viper. Sue had given them to her to pick him up upon his discharge from the ICU.

"Yeahhhh. Sure," he grinned. He wanted her to hug him the second time since they exited Presbyterian Hospital, or tenderly finger the healing bruises on his temples.

She was about to rev up Viper, but some half-heard noise stretched out from further up the road. Her face puzzled up upon seeing them - regular civilians, but they did not look happy. They resembled hungry sharks snatching up whatever flotsam & jetsam they could find. Their big footsteps reverberated down the pavement. Azula & Johnny hadn't even entered the car.

"There he is…," one of the three brawny figures jabbed his finger at Johnny. The Human Torch's pulse was racing - weighed down by the trauma of the assault on him. Azula saw it in the oceans of his eyes.

"I'll do the talking," she protectively patted his shoulder.

" 'Bout time you get a real life, Torch," another one of the thugs snapped. Fast approaching, they cornered the pair right by the car. Two of the party inaudibly whispered in discussion. "She's sweet, ain't she?" one of them fingered Viper's hood. "They both are," the other looked at Azula in addition.

Their other buddy spat in Johnny's face, "You wanna hear somethin'? You're nothin' but a menace. We'd best station a giant fire extinguisher at every city block." The trio cackled in unison.

"He's too dangerous to be around _normal_ people. You oughta just stay at home & light up your penthouse at night," snickered his friend. More laughter.

Azula stationed herself firmly between the group & her boyfriend, "Pick on someone who can stand on his own two feet."

The three stared as persistently & coldly as they could at Johnny, who was behind her remaining helplessly quiet. "Sorry, Dragon. Some of us gotta speak our minds."

"So Torchie, you always thought it's never gone easy for any of us except you?"

"How 'bout now, freak?"

"Likin' it when you sink back into an 'average' life?" The thug leader pointed to the bandages protecting Johnny's wrist.

"Guys!" warned Azula, "Break it up or you're up against a one-girl _firing_ squad."

"Now, now, we don't want Blue Dragon havin' a bad time in the news, do we?" one of them mocked.

She used her wit, "You started it, genius. Harassing a superhero could land you _in the long arm of law_."

The second thug raised his arm with iron knuckles, gaze locked on Johnny, "I'd land this jerk in what I call hot soup -" His smile revealed rows of rather monstrous teeth.

"All of you, SCAT!" Azula fired up both fists. They wouldn't back down. They were too close for the couple to feel comfortable so she struck. A feathery light but lethal blow was delivered to the neck of the thug leader. Another focused punch to the base of the second thug's spine. The third guy helped them up & they made haste & retreated to an alleyway nearby, partially because he'd noticed a wary officer down the street too.

"YOU KEEP THAT _FREAK_ AWAY FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD!" the leader boomed back at Azula, right before the trio disappeared. Passers-by witnessed most of the scene & could be heard muttering out their views on what just occurred.

Johnny hung his head in some kind of total shame; he was stripped of his heartfelt smile from earlier. It was verily different: he had frozen & he didn't put up any argument against the trio at all. His insides were knotted; terrible, as if the solid bottom of his well-known trait of confidence turned out to be a false bottom. It was like the attitude he had before - impulsive & all - was defunct & hadn't yet been replaced with a new 'him'. Seemingly, the bedrock had collapsed completely after it was hit.

Azula put her good arm around his to trace her fingertips across his famous flame-patterned jacket. "Just relax. Don't take for a minute _anything_ the creeps said," she snuggled up to him. "Let's go." He was still speechless, not even asking about their destination.


	2. Service

_This chapter's additionally a tribute to some favourite bands of mine (you should check out their awesome tunes):_

_1) __Disturbed, with their songs "Just Stop" & "God of the Mind"_

_2) __Linkin Park with "From the Inside"_

_3) __Red with "Ordinary World"_

_

* * *

_

By the time they arrived at the place, Johnny had not at all spoken. He was a riddled mass of nerves although he didn't quite show it. The area was a whole hive of activity - though it wasn't enough to call it a sardine can. People were dressed quite casually & profited from fruitful subjects of discussion with one another.

"Hey," someone greeted them, "Welcome to the Redeemer." He had a pal a little taller than him by his side. The couple looked to the two men whose rugged looks depicted nothing less than the expression of exuberance.

"Name's Chester. I can't tell you how cool it is seeing superheroes in church!" the first chap gave his bubbly introduction. He had spiky blonde hair & gentle eyes.

His friend interjected, "I'm David. & I've always been taller than this guy." David was bald, though it in fact gave him a cooler look. He had earrings on, & sharp brows.

"Oh, shut up," Chester dealt him a brotherly slap on the small of his back.

Azula chortled along & shook their hands first; Johnny's mug lit up a little more than before though his downcast emotions were well concealed. Except…he thought it pretty neat stepping into a building offering some _zen_, & it did not stop at that. People here were vibrant, satisfied, & most imperatively, _hopeful_. Why, though? Perhaps he'd get his questions answered without even asking. It'd be much like an immediate relief or a rush of cool air to the soul.

"Dad? Mom?" Azula half gasped, looking well ahead.

"Hi, hun!" an attractive woman in an incredibly modern cheongsam came to embrace her, "I flew in just this morning & I heard about what happened outside the hospital. You make the ideal bodyguard." The woman was none other than Ursa, Ozai's pleasant-tempered wife.

Without hesitation she turned to Johnny with the pleasantest of smiles to match, "How're you feeling, Johnny?" As she pulled him gently into a hug, he felt extremely blessed. It was a _motherly_ hug, bringing to his mind an empowering, fond memory of his own mom's loving nature. The thoughts were surprisingly not painful, bearing him no ill-will. Ursa lay a hand on him & said softly, "I know it's been rough on your part, but there are many people around if you need to talk about anything." Her kindness couldn't possibly be requited.

"Okay, brothers & sisters, let's each have a seat," a powerful voice announced abruptly. The wall clock struck 9.15AM. The man introduced himself as Keller, senior pastor of the church. Azula & Johnny were suddenly appalled seeing Ozai conversing with _Namor_! The Atlantean looked pretty comfy & accustomed to the atmosphere of the large hall. Maybe he'd been here before. Indeed, this place presented countless surprises, they thought.

"C'mon, time for an opening prayer," Keller proceeded. The congregation members put their hands together. Johnny felt weird, but just copied whatever the rest did.

_Lord Jesus, our Liberator, & simply the best friend each of us could have,_

_Thank you simply for a new day, which will surely be filled with more of your great surprises,_

_Thank you for life, for love, for friends, family, anything we can call 'good',_

_And thank you _especially_ for five amazing people we have here right now._

He encouraged the entire church to clap for Ozai, Azula, Johnny, Ursa & even Namor, as he introduced them to the crowd. The noise was nothing short of euphoric. When it all died down, Keller added, _"We say a big 'thank you' to You for helping Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, recover well from his injuries."_

All eyes looked to Johnny; he smiled in a coercive way. New feelings stirred up in him. Keller concluded with a hearty 'Amen', & the congregation followed.

"Next, our opening song of praise. This week we take the style of hard rock in our music. Use the tunes to say to God how hard He can rock our world!" he raised a balled up fist in the air, making many cheer on loudly. "David?" he motioned to the bald guy in the front row. David got most of the sea of people laughing because Chester had placed a small silly crown prominently saying "King David" on his head.

He coolly walked up the stage to say a few words, "Hardy ha ha. First off, thank the Lord we're alive & well this morning. I wrote a song this year, talking about how we beg for some sort of freedom. & by freedom I mean freedom from being caged up, or caught up in sin. The world may be a nice place but _remember_ - it's booby-trapped. Forgiveness is our best way out, & there's a Someone who's always ready to give it to us."

He signalled to the rock band behind him that was composed of a drummer, two guitarists & a keyboard player. Then he presented his song, "Just Stop". Lyrics tore from his lips in a voice infused with so much passion. He tapped the mic, as if with a very practised hand.

_And all that I want is forgiveness one more time  
I know that  
All that we want is to feel inside  
Some kind of comfort  
And all that we've done  
We can hide  
We'll be the best in the world_

_All I ever wanted was to be a real source of compassion  
From the moment that we found ourselves drowning in_

The crowd relished the music, faces looking extremely grateful. There were two more songs after that.

Chester brought his best friend, Mike onto the stage, then began, "This next song addresses the place we live in. Like King David mentioned," people chuckled some more. "…lotsa traps lie around waiting to get us. It's really important to know we oughta place our hopes in the right stuff. I'm speaking of Jesus. In the long run, anything that ain't Him is bound to disappoint us all. So here's "From The Inside"." His singing was charmingly husky, & when rougher notes started to challenge him, he nailed them perfectly. Mike filled in the lead singer's lines with some cool rap.

_Take everything from the inside and throw it all away  
Cuz I swear for the last time I won't trust myself with you_

_Tension is building inside steadily  
(Everyone feels so far away from me)  
Heavy thoughts forcing their way out of me  
(Trying not to break but I'm so tired of this deceit)  
(Every time I try to make myself get back up on my feet)  
(All I ever think about is this)  
(All the tiring time between)  
(And how trying to put my trust in you just takes so much out of me)_

Third in line to sing was "Archie", whose real name was actually Mike Barnes. His speech was moving, "I'd like y'all to sing along with me in this song, "Ordinary World". No matter how crazy people think we are, it's perfectly safe to believe this planet isn't the place we were born for. If there's any home at all, with no fights, no feuds, no worries, it's Heaven. That's a world we can call 'ordinary'. To get there, we gotta run in line with the Lord in a lifelong partnership with Him." He sent his pure notes resonating about the church with rare clarity.

_Came in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue  
thought I heard You talking softly  
I turned on the lights the TV and the radio  
but still I can't escape the ghost of You _

_Passion or coincidence once prompted You to say  
pride will tear us both apart  
Well now pride's gone out the window  
cross the rooftops, runaway  
Left me in the vacuum of my heart _

"Now for the Word. Let's chew on our Bibles," instructed Keller, "Our soup of the day can be found in Hebrews. Chapter one, verse 3." People giggled in amusement at his humour, which complemented his razor sharp intellect & rapid-fire delivery toward skeptics of the faith.

**_The Son is the radiance of God's glory_**

**_& the exact representation of his being,_**

**_sustaining all things by his powerful word._**

**_After he provided purification of sins,_**

**_he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven._**

Johnny, sharing a Bible with Azula, stared at the words 'sustaining' & 'purification of sins'. For some odd reason, he loved the sound of those phrases. He vehemently _needed_ what was called purification…that this 'Son of God' could readily offer.

The service went on with the reading & open discussion of letters & testimonials sent to the church, the breaking of bread & a wine offering, & prayer requests. Keller read aloud a funny, colourful letter from a frustrated skeptic:

_So if I want the best life I can ever have, I have to believe that a snake talked to Eve, that a whale swallowed a prophet, that the Red Sea was parted, & all sorts of other crazy things. Well, if God wants me so bad, why does He make believing in Him so impossible? It seems to me that an all-powerful God could do a much better job of convincing people of His existence than any evangelist ever does. Just write it in the sky, nice & big: "Here's your proof, Ed. Believe in Me! Sincerely, the Almighty."_

He explained, "Well, Ed has to know that God is there if he is willing to see Him. It ain't from a lack of evidence that people turn from God; it's from their pride. Or their will. One of my favourite things about God is he doesn't force anyone into the fold. His love never forces us on, but works to persuade us. That's an amazing thing about true love, guys. & thus we should appreciate such a magnitude of this virtue."

The recessional song was "God of the Mind", sung by David. It had interesting beats that got the churchgoers' heads bobbing rhythmically.

_And you're not having an easy time  
Never having an easy  
You know this time it has never gone easy  
Time never having an easy  
You'll never meet another like Me_

_Get in get into like Me like Me  
Get in get into like Me like Me  
Get in get into lie to Me like Me  
Get into like Me_

"Mr. Torch?" a meek voice asked. "May I please have your autograph?"

A little lass of age five or six tugged at Johnny's jacket. He bent down to take her pen & card. "Yeah, kid. What's your name?"

"Tamara." She wore an orangey turquoise dress that went nicely with the sweet curls of her ebony hair & olive green eyes. Unexpectedly, she placed her tiny hand in the open palm of his bandaged hand, "I'm happy that you're okay."


	3. Saved

The garage was quiet. He'd been eerily silent too, throughout the drive home. Azula watched the slow ripples in his blue eyes every second she could. Light pierced them, but they didn't take it in too well. She impatiently hungered for the ripe moment to produce the wrapped gift she'd been hiding…

"You drive real smooth," he remarked out of the blue. "Viper's all yours."

"No, you wouldn't."

He was earnest, "No, Zed. I insist. You mind if I check her spark plugs first?"

Her focus was solely on the mystery of what he just said. "Sure. By all means," came her reply. She failed to read his expression. It was quite random of him to do that, but unusually nice of his person to help. She felt tingly warmth inside, her thought processes latching onto a memory: of him telling her how his first word ever was 'car'. He'd picked it up when he was a mere six months old!

"_No surprise there,"_ she remembered herself saying in response. Other little memories of little pleasant experiences alongside him flooded her head.

In a similar way, he pondered a phrase she once used sarcastically. She'd regarded him as 'cloyingly sweet', whatever that meant. He wasn't the type to look up the dictionary to clarify her meaning. Again, it was her ingenious way with words that he marveled at so much. Perhaps her first word was 'beautiful', first spoken at an age of _five_ months..

Trudging to the nearby cabinet, he took out the necessary tools - wrenches, some cloth, spare plugs, labels, etc. He opened the car hood, venturing a close glance at the little components lining one side of the engine. He removed a spark plug, inspecting it critically. Clearly, Azula observed he was a little different in conduct. She looked for a second at the bag she held which had his pain meds inside. Hallelujah, she was thinking, _he's on the move, at least, instead of moping around or staring the floor in its face._

When he completed the job, around fifteen minutes later, she could no longer wait. "Hotshot?" she called him over.

"What's up?"

"Here's your 'Outta-The-Hospital' gift," she chuckled, awkwardly. Then she stretched out the present wrapped in bright-coloured paper toward him. She thought she heard him laugh in excitement while he was opening it.

"I got it specially designed for you. Whatdya think?" she enquired.

In his palm was a hard cover Bible coated in an eruption of loud but beautiful shades. & no doubt, the patterns flowing along the cover were fiery streams. A stylish ignited cross with a shape more like an X than a T took its place at the center. "Nah, you didn't have to. I ain't religious," a forced smile came across his countenance.

"But you _need_ help." She reached for his good hand, & squeezed. It was incumbent on her to care for him throughout his recovery period, partly because Sue only had so much time daily to break away from her study filled with paperwork.

He couldn't choke out an answer. He turned away, & she got worried wondering if he was choking back tears. "It'll be handy if you think you can't talk out a problem with someone," she added. Ghostly fingering on his shoulder dragged him back around. "Please. Take it," she begged. Silence intensified in the room. "It looks great," he finally muttered, struggling to make the smile genuine. But it was more like it was cracking his face.

"So…thanks," he finished.

* * *

A fortnight elapsed quickly, without much on the plate of the six heroes. Save for them settling the misunderstanding that led the public to look down on superheroes. The problem stemmed from the time when Johnny was influenced by Diablo's potion. Though the citizens got the message that he was simply 'affected by energies of the potion' (Reed's wording), they weren't 100% convinced: not ten days later, the Human Torch went on another little craze, except it was on a smaller scale. He'd destroyed vehicles & incinerated smaller structures spread about the city, plus even stole a few bikes for a joyride or two. Little was known that the culprit had been the Skrull, Lyja, disguised in human form & manipulating Johnny.

Reed, Sue & Ozai were primarily engaged in a number of conferences, interviews & miscellaneous events related to the costs of repairing the damage inflicted upon the city. Because they had to speak on behalf of the Human Torch (who had to rest & recover in the comforts of home) about the mob attack initiated on him, Sue promised that "it would not happen again", & "he would change". Her statement held much truth.

At last, the government's plans to launch drastic programmes addressing the 'havoc' wreaked by New York's superheroes were successfully thrashed in their early stage.

Johnny's eyes opened to the dull morning light. Balmy was the weather today; he felt some wonderful warmth on his blanket as the sun decided to lay a golden finger on his bed. He was still groggy so he tossed & turned for a bit, until a surge of pain interrupted his movements. His ribs that suffered the 'greenstick' fractures pressed hard against the mattress, making a groan leave his lips. At least the couple of weeks that had passed since the mob attack helped diminish the pains plaguing him.

Craning his head to the nearby bookshelf, the first thing he cast his gaze upon was that open book. The page where **Ephesians 3:6** had been was still there for viewing. The phrase **"enjoy the promise of blessings"** had been marked in striking ink. Just then, he picked up the noise of his room's sliding door.

"Jonathan, my boy!" the voice was joyous & joking. Given his slight memory loss, it wasn't a breeze piecing things together still. Somebody lifted up him all of a sudden. His feet were hanging in the air & he no longer felt the blanket. Two mighty arms kept him off the ground for that moment.

The deep seasoned voice had more to say, "Come, my daughter's made you breakfast. Extra special."

Ozai turned to exit the room in rather happy struts.

More than enough people out there cared unfathomably deeply for Johnny's messed up person. The _emo_ feelings were evaporating in no time as he simpered to himself, as if involuntarily.


End file.
